Richard Lawrence Gordon

Richard Lawrence Gordon, age 80, of La Plata, Maryland, passed away peacefully in his sleep on Friday, April 3rd, 2026. Richard was the son of the late Robert and Harriet Gordon and is proceeded in death by his wife of 47 years, Cynthia Gladrow Gordon. He is survived by his daughter Heather Gordon-Freitag and his son, Rory Gordon; His son-in-law Jerry Freitag, and daughter-in-law Emily Gordon; grandchildren Hannah, Remy, and Conor; his sister Luanne Lebwohl; his nieces and nephews, and a lifetime of friends and students. Richard was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. After completing his Bachelor’s degree at Hunter College in New York, he went on to receive his Master’s and Doctorate from Louisiana State University. While living in Louisiana he was a Boy Scout Troop Leader and member of The Order of the Arrow. After working at companies in Louisiana and New Jersey, he began to share his love of history by teaching as a Professor at Mercer County Community College in New Jersey, where he taught both History and English. He also taught Sunday School and ran the children’s Summer Sunday Program at the Princeton United Methodist Church for almost 30 years. Besides being a man of many talents, he was also a man of faith. He was a devoted father and grandfather. He was a gentle, kind, and generous man who had a thirst for knowledge. He loved to read and tell stories, and later in life enjoyed astronomy. He was a lover of music, played the piano, was an avid baseball fan, he never came across a dog that did not like him, and loved spending time with his friends and family. He was deeply loved, and will be remembered by all who knew him. A funeral Service will be held on Friday, April 10th at the La Plata United Methodist Church at 9am. The burial will be at 11am at Trinity Memorial Gardens in Waldorf Md. Memorial Service will be held on Saturday May 30, 2026 at 11AM at Princeton United Methodist Church at 7 Vandeventer Ave, Princeton, NJ 08542. In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to be made to the following charities: 1.) First Book: https://firstbook.org/ 2.) Appalachian Service Project (ASP) : https://asphome.org/ 3.) Charles County Humane Society: https://humanesocietycc.org/

Richard Lawrence Gordon

August 19, 1945 - April 3, 2026